Saying Goodbye

Saying goodbye to Sumbawanga was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a long time. As excited as I am to get home, I was not ready to say goodbye at all. I have been a crying mess for the last week (just ask James). The past week has been full of going-away parties and eating out at restaurants. The really hard goodbyes for me started with the students. I had to say goodbye to them Thursday morning. We were in James’s classes, and I was sitting next to one of my favorite girls (her name is Immaculate), and I told her how sad I was to leave on Friday. Apparently she didn’t know that I was leaving so soon because she just put her head down and started crying in the middle of class. Adrophina was crying a little too when we had to say goodbye. I am really going to miss being a part of the students (specifically those girls’) lives.

Saying goodbye to the Bishop and the priests I eat with was difficult. The bishop told me if I don’t find a job in the US that I should come back and he would employ me, haha. Saying goodbye to Marianna and the orphans was difficult as well. The final goodbye was on Thursday night when we had to say goodbye to the monks at James’s place. Here’s a bit of my journal entry about it:

“The party on Thursday night was fantastic. A few of the monks gave speeches to say thank you and goodbye. It was after Br. Mwanjoka talked, when Br. Kan’gombe was talking, that I lost it and started to cry. I just can’t believe it’s over. I’ll never sit down with those monks for dinner again. I’ll miss seeing Br. Bundu’s smiling face. I’ll miss the joy Br. Kan’gombe’s brings whenever he’s around. I’ll miss Br. Nicholas’s stories. And of course I’ll miss every conversation with Fr. Mindi, who always ends up saying something hysterical in English. It was so hard just looking around the dinner table and thinking ‘this is my last meal with them.’ I was crying the entire time I tried to give my thank you speech.”

I am now on my way to Dar es Salaam. I’ll be traveling for 2 weeks with Paul Conroy before I leave here on the 4th. I am excited to travel a bit before I head home. Thanks for all the comments and emails ... Can’t wait to see everyone soon!

Here's a picture of me, James, Fr. Mindi, and a few of the students at a going away party at school.